Like Real People Do
by Zyana
Summary: In which Clementine gets to fully experience music. Louis/Clem


The sun had long past set behind the school, darkening the courtyard and beckoning the kids inside. Clementine and AJ were the first to retreat indoors as they had spent the day increasing the size of the schools safe zone. It was no surprise that AJ insisted on going with Clementine and Aasim, claiming he was old enough to go on such a simple job. Clementine found no point in arguing with him.

AJ was clearly exhausted from the long trek but Clementine knew he'd never admit that. She now knew he probably regretted tagging along, too, but he'd never admit that one as well.

Louis couldn't help but feel disappointed as he watched the pair retreat inside with a frown. Violet scoffed. "You're hopeless." She said as she stood up from the bench the pair sat at.

He couldn't help it. He was looking forward to talking with her as he hadn't seen much of her all day. They had headed out before sunrise and Louis wasn't much of a morning person.

"C'mon, kicking me while im down? Now that's cold, Vi." Louis placed a hand over his heart as he watched Violet leave with a teasing smile. He could practically see her rolling her eyes.

"Why not just go talk to her?" Violet asked with a raise of her eyebrow. She, however, didn't stop to hear his response.

Louis paused, taken aback. "Like go to her room?" He thought aloud. He may not know as much as he would like to about her, but he knew enough to know that she wouldn't love that idea. Yet, despite his better judgement, he found himself in the hallway by her room.

It had been surprisingly long since Louis had been to this side of the school. Since Minnie and Sophie died, he didn't have any reason to. Furthermore, this just left him with fewer excuses to stop by Clementine and AJ's room.

He was still a couple doors down from their room when he stopped dead in his tracks, a voice silencing all of his previous thoughts. He couldn't quite make out the words, but he had no doubt the voice came from Clementine.

Louis took a few more light and short steps towards the room until he could make out her words. My god was she singing?

"I had a thought, dear, however scary. About that night, the bugs and the dirt" He couldn't recognize the song, which was surprising as his collection of old records was always growing. He found himself focusing on her beautifully imperfect voice. " I will not ask you where you came from, I will not ask you, neither should you."

His cheeks felt red hot as he pictured her face to the voice. She sounded so relaxed, something he noticed, wasn't very common for her.

With that thought he realized this was a moment he really shouldn't be eavesdropping on.

He retreated back towards his room, but not without the new song humming from his lips and Clementines voice plaguing his thoughts.

Louis couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

Marlon had insisted on Clementine and AJ taking the day off. Clementine, however, couldn't agree to that.

She had little problem leaving AJ with Tenn as he was easily distracted by the countless amounts of colours to share. Watching AJ make his first friend brought a heavy weight off her shoulders but she couldn't help but fear that it wouldn't last long. Groups like this never really did.

Knowing Aasim, Brody, and Violet were already out hunting and fishing, Clementine decided to look for Louis. She knew he had been the one to upkeep the greenhouse when it was still functioning, so she decided he would be the first step to getting it back in working order.

Marlon told her you could always find him in the library with the piano, where she first met him.

The closer she got to the library, the louder the piano became. It wasn't as confidently played as the first time she heard it. Instead, she heard the same few chords in different keys being played over and over. She could feel his frustration.

Clementine stopped as she entered the doorway, genuinely interested in hearing him play. She never expected there to be people who kept up with the arts and cultures of the old world.

Louis had his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He was obviously heavily focused on the song in his head. It was surprisingly comforting to see him play, to ignore the hell going on outside the walls like it never existed. A small smile graced her lips.

"I will not ask you where you came from..." Louis started to sing, pausing every once in a while to hum the lyrics instead. Clementines mouth opened wide in surprise. "I will not ask and nei- Oh, hey Clementine!"

All shock turned into anger as Clementine quickly made her way across the room. Louis's eyes widened as she shoved him off of the pianos bench. "You were eavesdropping, weren't you!" She accused, placing her hands on her hips for dramatic effect. She stared down at him with a fire in her eyes.

Louis took a second to process what exactly was happening, but when he did, he couldn't stop the grimace rising to his face.

"I swear I didn't mean to!" Louis started as he carefully stood to his feet. He kept his hands in front of him in an attempt to ease her. "I was stopping by your room to give you something, but that song you were singing was really good! I just really wanted to learn it, y'know?"

The tension in Clementines shoulders slowly left as she rolled her eyes. "So what was it then?" She asked with a tight frown. She was used to singing AJ to sleep, but the thought of someone else hearing her was super embarrassing.

"What?"

"What were you bringing me, doofus."

"Oh..." Louis paused. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "My attention of course."

Clementine felt herself begin to blush at the silly one liner. He sat there with a confident grin and his head slightly tilted, waiting patiently for her reaction. She quickly looked away, not being able to maintain eye contact with him any longer. She wasn't sure why.

"Well," Clementine started, moving her hands from her hips to cross her arms over her chest. "you were way off key."

Louis felt his smile grow wider, if that was even possible. "What, and you could do better?" He challenged with a raise of his eyebrow. Of course he knew she could do better, as she actually knew the song. He just hoped she would take the bait.

Clementine couldn't help the small tilt in her lips as she rolled her eyes once more. "You are the musician, aren't you?" She teased.

Louis took a seat on the pianos bench once again and moved over to offer Clementine a seat. He was surprised when she took it. "Yet here I am, asking you for help." She looked down at the keys with uncertainty. "That's what im here for." He assured, placing his hands on the familiar keys. "I just need help with some of the lyrics."

It took strength to not let out a chuckle at the face Clementine was giving him. "You really expect me to sing along with you." She deadpanned.

"I could only dream." Louis murmured, a dreamy look on his face. "Just tell me where im wrong."

Clementine felt her heart pounding in her chest, but swallowed a breath down hard. She gestured for him to start.

" I had a thought, however scary..." The chords he played were shockingly familiar to the original, one that Clementine hadn't listened to since she discovered it in the new frontier. She decided she liked his version better. "About that night, with the bugs and the dirt. Why were you digging? What did you bury?"

Clementine stopped him before he could continue. "Your pacing is off- the lyrics are a lot more lighter then what you are singing them as."

"Oh?"

She rolled her eyes. She was falling right into his trap, but she found that she really didn't mind.

Clementine absentmindedly placed her hands on the keys, lightly enough to not actually play them. She kept her eyes on her fingers as she felt Louis's eyes burning into her face. "I had a thought, dear, however scary, about that night, the bugs and the dirt- See?"

Louis played along absentmindedly on the piano as his focus was mainly on what she was saying. She wasn't really singing, more speaking the lyrics in the general tone of the song. That was a lot more then what he thought he'd get from her.

"So then the first verse- I will not ask you where you came from  
I will not ask you, neither should you." Louis paused to look at Clementine for her to continue the lyrics for him. That was about as much as he heard her sing the night before.

Clementine hesitated, turning to look at him to gauge his reaction as she sang the next lyrics. "Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips, we should just kiss like real people do." She finished off with a nervous and shaky breath, something that caught Louis very off guard. He felt his face and neck turn all shades of red.

"Wow." Was all he was able to come up with in response. "You have a really nice voice." He later added after too long of a pause.

Clementine broke eye contact him and let out a cough to clear her throat. She moved over slightly, much to Louis' dismay, as she realized just how close they had gotten. He suddenly felt the urge to change the subject, feeling as if she was quickly closing herself back off once again. "Who is that song even by, anyways?" He asked, trying to lighten the tension.

"I don't know." Clementine started with an uncommonly unsure voice. "I found a lot of records and discs at one of the larger groups I used to be with. It helped AJ sleep through the night when he was a baby. Now, its me singing instead."

Louis watched as Clementine smiled fondly at the memory. It was nice to listen to her open up, even with something as small as that. He wanted her to smile more often.

"Well, that gives me the perfect idea."

Clementine spun on her chair to face Louis as he stood from the bench. He made his way over to the record player placed on the table where she first found her backpack. There were records scattered messily around the table, some even stacked on the ground. "You've got quite the collection." She noted.

"Ah, yes." Louis said with a hum, stopping at a certain stack of records until he picked out a particular album he was looking for. He held the album up proudly for Clementine to see. "The Beatles! These guys were huge way before we were ever born." Clementine, of course, recognized the name from her parents. It made her realize how long it's been since she thought about anything before this all started.

"I personally think their hits are a little overrated." Louis admitted as he fiddled with the stylus of the record player. The fuzzy static eventually blended into the song. "This song, however, is my personal favourite." He added, sending her a smile from over his shoulder.

 _"What would you think if I sang out of tune?  
Would you stand up and walk out on me?  
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song  
And I'll try not to sing out of key."_

Clementine couldn't help but laugh at the way Louis moved his hips as he walked towards her. He was horrifically off beat. "You're horrible." She said as she tried her best to hold back her laughter.

"That's the point!" Louis grinned, moving his arms in time with his hips. "Who cares. Enjoy the moment." He held out his hand to her, an offer.

Clementine looked down at his hand skeptically. "I don't dance." Despite her words, she put her hand in his. Louis softened.

"Just move with the music. Don't think about it. Dancing isn't about thinking."

Louis took her other hand in an attempt to ease her. He moved their arms back and forth in a goofy fashion, his body swaying side to side. Clementine stared down at their feet, hesitantly following his movements. "You're still thinking too much." He started, bringing her eyes back up to him. "Just feel the music."

Clementine found herself focusing on him instead. She went from studying the dreads that were beginning to cover his face to his carefree smile and then to his freckles. His face was covered in them and she couldn't help but admire them. She hadn't seen them up close before. AJ once questioned him about them.

"What's with all those spots on your face?" AJ asked, not at all concerned with offending.

"AJ!" Clementine had scolded, giving him a stern look. Louis only laughed and squatted down to his level to give AJ a better look at his spots.

"They're called freckles. I was born with them. Just like how you were born with such curly hair." Louis explained, much to Clementines surprise. She found herself thinking fondly of that moment, and many other moments shes shared with him.

Louis soon brought her out of her thoughts "Now you've got it!" He praised, laughter bubbling in his throat. "You're a natural."

Clementine smiled up at him, but it quickly dissipated as her attention was brought to the floor. The track faded out and was replaced by a scratchy buzz. Louis looked down at her with a frown, their hands still locked together despite the fact they were no longer dancing. "What is it?"

"What are your intentions?" Clementine asked, very suddenly. She looked back up at him and quickly continued before he could answer. "Why are you so nice to me? To AJ?"

Louis's eyes widened as he looked down at her, clearly caught off guard. Was it not obvious? "I mean, I thought it was pretty clear." He spoke with a nervous laugh. Clementines face said otherwise. "Are you really gonna make me say it?"

Clementine let go of his hands so she could cross her arms over her chest. Louis awkwardly placed his hand on his neck. "Fine! Fine. I mean, I like you, Clem." Her mouth widened in shock. She guesses it was pretty obvious, with the constant flirting, but she told herself it was just who he is. Or at least, everybody elses reactions told her that. "At first I thought it was just attraction, but there's something here. I don't know what to call it, but I know you feel it too. I want to help you, Clem. You and AJ. Bring some silliness into that kids life."

Louis watched Clementines shocked expression shift into admiration. The same sort of expression she wore when he gave AJ his dinner. Louis felt his heart beating in his throat.

Clementine broke eye contact as she looked at the ground with a blush. "I... I didn't think I was capable of feeling that way." She spoke with an awkward laugh. Louis couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Clementine quickly picked up on it as his expression spoke wonders. She grabbed his hand, a new force of determination overtaking her. "But I do." She assured, confidently. "I do feel that way."

Louis visibly relaxed, a relieved sigh leaving his lips. He couldn't help but pull her into a hug, head tucking into her neck. "Thank god. That would've been pretty awkward."

Clementine laughed before humming a thank you into his chest. "For what?" Louis asked, pulling back only enough to get a look at her face. He wasn't ready to let go of this moment just yet.

"For reminding me and AJ what its like to be real. To be human."


End file.
